Arsenal agree £16m deal, Emery’s second signing

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has continued to strengthen his squad with the signing of Greece international Sokratis Papastathopoulos, according to The Telegraph.

The Gunners have been lacking in defensive areas for far too long, and it has not taken the Spanish manager long to work out that reinforcements were needed in that area.

Having announced the addition of Stephan Lichsteiner earlier in the week, it has now been suggested that a £16 million deal has been agreed between Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund to allow the Greek defender to move to London.

The dominating 30-year-old centre-back moved to the German giants from fellow Bundesliga club Werder Bremen in 2013, and has gone on to run up just shy of 200 appearances at the Westfalenstadion.

Having represented clubs the size of AEK Athens and AC Milan prior to his move to the top flight in Germany, it is clear that the Greek defender will bring a lot of top level experience to the Emirates Stadium with him, and given that he is joining a largely youthful squad that could well be invaluable.

Sokratis has been a regular feature in the major European competitions in his time at Dortmund and he has a mountain of form in the international sphere too, having made 79 appearances for Greece since making his debut back in 2008.

Although it is believed to have been completed already, the transfer for the big defender is not expected to be announced until next month, but it would appear to confirm the Gunners’ intention to become a major force within the Premier League once again.

If they can find some defensive structure to go alongside their attacking prowess, it could be that their first campaign under new guidance for the first time in 22 years will turn into a very successful one.

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